MultiTree:

Name: Halkomelem Type: Language Alternate Name: Holkomelem Spoken in: USA, Canada Number of speakers: 200 in Canada (2002 W. Poser). Population total all countries: 225 (Ethnologue) Number of speakers: 375 (UNESCO) Number of speakers: 225 (World Oral Literature Project) Code: hur Code Standard: ISO 639-3 Documentation: SIL Families: Salishan (Salish) Parent Subgroup: Central Salish; Coast Salish (csal) Child Dialect Groups: Island; Hul'aumi'num'; Nanoos; Hul'q̲umi'num'; həlʼqʼəmínʼəm (hur-isl) Upriver; Halq'əméyləm; Upper Stalo (hur-upr) Downriver; Hunq'umʔiʔnumʔ; Kwantlen (hur-dow) Brief Description: "Halkomelem is a Central Salish language, spoken in southwestern British Columbia in a number of small communities along the Lower Fraser River and on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The combined population of all Halkomelem groups is 6,700, of whom about 120 speak the language with some degree of fluency, and another 100 are passive speakers. Three dialects are recognised: (1) Island Halkomelem, on the southeast coast of Vancouver Island, is spoken in local varieties at Malahat, Cowichan, Halalt, Chemainus, Penelakut, Nanaimo, and Nanoose. There are up to 100 active speakers. (2) Downriver Halkomelem, at the mouth of the Fraser River in and around the city of Vancouver, has six elderly first-language speakers. (3) Upriver Halkomelem (Sto:lo), in the Fraser River valley, has between five and ten fluent speakers, the youngest over 70." Victor Golla, Atlas of the World's Languages 2007 pg. 15

Endangerment Status

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UNESCO Status: Severely endangered Ethnologue Status: Not listed Sutherland's Red List: Endangered